Knockdown-type shipping container having built-in fastening means



2 Sheets-Sheet l JOSEPH P. DUGGAN ATTORNEYS May 7, 1968 J. P. DUGGAN KNOCKDOWN-TYPE SHIPPING CONTAINER HAVING BUILT-IN FASTENING MEANS Filed July 12, 1966 May 7, 1968 xnocxnown B 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 12, 1966 INVENTOR JOSEPH P. DUGGAN MM Q M ATTORNEYS United States Patent M 3,381,840 KNOCKDOWN-TYPE SHIPPING CONTAINER HAVING BUILT-IN FASTENING MEANS Joseph P. Duggan, 333 86th St., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11209 Filed July 12, 1966, Ser. No. 564,623 3 Claims. (Cl. 217-65) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A knockdown-type shipping container, comprising a plurality of structural members assembled into a container the structural members abutting each other and forming a three way corner at the respective corners of the container, and at least one fastening means in each abutting structural member where it abuts another structural member at a corner, said fastening means extending from within the abutting structural members into the abutted structural member and being in locking engagement with the abutted structural member, and being retractable into said abutting structural members so as to lie entirely within the abutting structural member when the abutting structural member does not abut another structural member.

The invention in the present case relates to a knockdown-type shipping container, i.e. a shipping container of the type which can be disassembled to be shipped to the point of use, or shipped back to its point of origin or to the point of next use after the contents thereof have been removed, and more particularly it relates to such a shipping container which has fastening means built into the structural members of the container for fastening the parts of the container to each other.

The problems connected with the use of knockdowntype shipping containers are well known to those in the art. The efforts to avoid the use of wooden containers, which are becoming increasingly expensive to build and which of course are usually destroyed at their destination because of the expense involved in shipping them back empty, have, on a practical level, been directed to the fabrication of lightweight metallic containers which can be assembled and disassembled by means of conventional fastening devices. Conventional fastening devices such as screws, or bolts and nuts have been used, but the great difficulty with such fastening devices is that they must invariably be replaced when the knocked down containers are again reassembled, because the persons who disassemble the containers have little or no regard for the necessity of saving the screws, or nuts and bolts and returning them along with the knocked down containers. Experience has shown that even when only screws are used and threaded holes are provided, such persons will not take the time and effort necessary to either replace the screws or return them separately. Moreover, the use of such fastening devices requires the use of wrenches, which are sometimes not readily available and, like the fastening devices themselves, are not properly handled by the persons disassembling the containers.

A still further problem is that of the damage to the projecting fastening means during handling of the containers, both when they are empty and when they are filled. When, for example, screws or bolts are threaded back into threaded holes in the structural members of disassembled containers, they will of course project from such members because a second structural member is not held by the bolt. These projecting fastening members are easily damaged during the shipment of the knocked down containers.

3,381,84fi Patented May 7, 1968 Some efforts have been made to use fastening means which are permanently attached to the container structural members and which can be manipulated by hand or with a very simple tool. An example of such a fastening means is a bolt pivoted to one structural member and a slot in the adjacent structural member, and a wing nut or the like on the bolt. However, these fastening means areeasily damaged during shipping of the containers in both directions because they project out from the container.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a shipping container of the knock-down type and fastening means therefor which are built into the container, yet which are not subject to the drawbacks of the prior art devices.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a knockdown-type shipping container in which the fastening means are, in both the assembled and knocked down condiion of the container, contained entirely within the structural members of the container.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a knockdown-type shipping container in which the fastening devices are simply and easily actuated both to assemble the container and to disassemble the container, the actuation being by means of a simple bladed tool, such as a screwdriver.

The shipping container of the present invention comprises container structural members, such as frame members or panels, assembled into a conventional three-way corner at the corners of the container, and fastening means at the end of each structural member where it abuts another structural member, which fastening means in the assembled condition of the corner extends from within the structural member into the adjacent structural member and is in locking engagement therewith, and which in the unassembled condition of the corner lies entirely within the structural member.

Other and further objects of the present invention wil become apparent from the following specification and claims, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional threeway corner of a shipping container;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the corner of a shipping container of the present invention having the fastening means therein;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view through two abutting frame members in the corner and taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an exploded sectional view of the two frame members of FIGS. 3 and 4.

A shipping container, in order to be as strong as possible, is usually assembled with so-called three-way corner joints at which the frame members are joined. Such a corner joint is shown in FIG. 1 in which the top frame member 10a has the end abutting the top edge of a side frame member 10b, and the end of the side frame member 1012 abuts the side edge of the end of frame member 10c, and the end of the end frame member abuts the side edge of the top frame member 10a. Shown in phantom lines is the siding or paneling 11. It is of course desirable to have other structural frame members, such as diagonal frame members, and the like to further strengthen the container, but such members are not shown since they form no part of the present invention. Likewise, it would be possible to omit the frame members entirely, and rely on the strength of the panel members themselves for the strength of the containers. In that event, the fastening members, to be described presently, will be in the corners of the panels and the panels would be assembled in the 3 same relationship at the corners as are the frame members 10.

Fastening members 11 are provided at the ends of each of the frame members 16, and they are of a type which, when they do not engage the abutting frame members to hold the frame members together, are positioned entirely within one of the frame members. When it is desired to fasten two frame members together, the fastening members are actuated to cause them to project out of the one frame member and into an appropriate recess in the frame member to be abutted and to be locked in the last mentioned frame member. When it is desired to disassemble two frame members, the fastening members are again actuated and retracted into the one frame member, where they remain until the next assembly operation.

A preferred form of fastening means 11 is shown in detail in FIGS. 2-5. It comprises a key 12 which has a shank portion 12a and a blade portion 12b extending radially outwardly from the shank portion 12a at one end thereof, At the other end of the shank portion 12a there can be provided engaging means, here shown as a head 120 which has a slot 12 thereacross somewhat in the manner of the head of a screw. Alternatively the end 120 could be fiat and could be engaged by a slotted tool. The unbroken edge 12d of the shank portion is cylindrically curved with a curvature to match that of a cylindrical bore, to be described hereinafter, and the free edge of blade portion 12b is also cylindrically curved with a curvature corresponding to that of a bore portion in the other frame member, also to be described hereinafter.

A spring 13 is coiled around the shank portion between the head 12c and the blade portion 12b.

The key 12 is positioned in a key retaining bore 14 in one frame member The key retaining bore 14 has a shank receiving portion 14a which is substantially cylindrical and which opens out of one surface of the frame member 10 through an aperture 16. The spring 13 is positioned within the shank receiving portion 14a and engages with the inner end thereof. Extending axially of the shank receiving portion 14a and through the remainder of the frame member 10 is a cylindrical bore portion 140, and the curvature of the unbroken edge 122 of the shank portion 12a has the same curvature as that of the wall of said cylindrical bore portion 14c. Extending radially outwardly from the cylindrical bore portion 140 is a blade receiving portion 14b which is defined between substantially flat opposed surfaces spaced from each other only slightly more than the thickness of the blade portion 12b. The radially outer wall 14d of the blade receiving portion 14b is curved with a curvature corresponding to that of the blade edge 122.

In the other frame member 10 to which the one frame member 10 is to be attached is a key receiving and locking bore 15, The key receiving and locking bore 15 has a cylindrical bore portion 15c having the same diameter as the cylindrical bore portion 140, and extending radially thereof is a blade passing portion 15a having the same dimensions in the radial and thickness direction as the blade receiving portion 14b. Further into the frame member 10 is a blade turning portion 15c which has a dimension axially of the bore slightly greater than the corresponding dimension of the blade portion 12b, and which has a segment shaped cross section with a radius of curvature equal to that of the radial dimension of the shank and blade portion 12a and 12b of the key 12. Also provided in the bore 15 is a locking notch 15) which extends radially from the bore portion 150 and lies at an angle to the blade passing portion 15a and which extends from the blade turning portion 15c back toward the open end of the bore 15.

The curvature of the blade edge 12c is the same as that of the curved wall of the blade turning portion 15e.

In its unengaged condition, the key 12 lies within the key retaining bore 14 in the position shown in FIG. 3, with the blade portion 12b lying in the blade receiving portion 14b and the shank portion 12a lying along the cylindrical bore portion and extending into the shank receiving portion 14a. The spring 13 lies between the head 12c and the end of the shank receiving portion 14a and is substantially uncompressed.

When it is desired to engage the two frame members, the frame member 10 is placed against the frame member 10, with the cylindrical bore portions 140 and aligned and the blade passing portion 15a aligned with the blade receiving portion 14b. With a bladed tool, such as a screwdriver, the person engaging the frame members reaches through the aperture 16 and engages the slotted head or end 120 of the key 12. The key is first pushed toward the other frame member 10 thus urging the blade portion 12b through the blade passing portion 15a and into the blade turning portion 15a of the key receiving and locking bore 15. When the end of the key 12 abuts the end of the bore 15, the key is then turned, in the clockwise direction in the embodiment shown, until it will turn no further. It is then released, i.e. is no longer pushed, and under the action of the spring 13, the key is moved toward the aperture 16 until the edge of the blade portion 12b is engaged in the locking notch 15f. The key is thus retained in the turned position, as shown in FIG. 4, by the force of the spring 13 which holds the blade portion 12b in the locking notch.

When it is desired to disassemble the container, it is only necessary to engage the key 12 with the appropriate tool and push the key inwardly until the blade portion 12b is disengaged from the locking notch 15f, turn it in the opposite direction from that in which it was turned to engage it, in the counterclockwise direction in the present embodiment, and then release it, whereupon the spring 13 will move the key so that the blade portion 12b slides through the blade passing portion 15a and into the blade receiving portion 14b.

Because the edge 12d is cylindrically curved to match the curvature of the wall of the cylindrical bore portion 14c and 15c, the shank portion 12a will turn readily in the cylindrical bore portions in bearing engagement therewith. The blade portion 12b will turn smoothly in the blade turning portion 15c because the edge 12a of the blade portion is curved the same as the curved wall of the blade turning portion. It will also be seen the shank receiving portion of the key retaining bore has the end thereof at which the aperture 16 is positioned peened over or otherwise reduced to make the aperture 16 small er than the end 12c of the key. This insures that the key does not fall out of the key retaining bore 14 through the aperture 16. It of course will be restrained from falling out of the bore 14 through the blade receiving por tion 14b by the action of the spring 13, which urges the key toward the aperture 16 at all times.

While the fastening means are shown as being in the ends of the frame members which will be on the outside surfaces of the corner, it will of course be understood that the invention is not limited to so positioning the fastening means. In certain constructions, it may be advantageous to position them in the frame members 10 and cause them to be extended into key receiving and locking bores in the frame members 10 In such a case it is necessary that the keys extend through the thickness of the frame member from one edge to the other, rather than from the top surface to the bottom surface. Also, although only two fastening means 11 are shown in each frame member, the member provided can be one, three or even more, depending on strength requirements.

There has thus been provided a knockdown-type container with fastening means which in the knocked down condition of the container is entirely within the thickness of the frame members 10, so that the fastening means cannot be damaged or lost during the shipment of the knocked down containers back to their point of origin or to the point of their next use. The fastening means are a permanent part of the frame member, and are instantaneously available when it is desired to assemble the container. The tool which is used can be a simple screwdriver, or a simple slotted tool. A simple turning and pushing action is all that is required of the person assembling the container or disassembling it. Even when the container is assembled, the fastening means are entirely within the frame members, and are thus not subject to damage by being knocked against other containers or the like.

It is thought that the invention and its advantages will be understood from the foregoing description and it is apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A knockdown-type shipping container, comprising a plurality of structural members assembled into a container, the structural members abutting each other and forming a three way corner at the respective corners of the container, and at least one fastening means in each abutting structural member where it abuts another structural member at a corner, said fastening means including a movable member movable from within the abutting structural member into the abutted structural member, said abutted structural member having a securing and locking recess therein for securing and locking the movable member in engagement with the abutted member, said movable member being retractable into said abutting structural member and having a dimension in the direction of the thickness of the abutting member which is no greater than the thickness of the abutting member so as to lie entirely within the abutting structural member when the abutting structural member does not abut another structural member.

2. A knockdown-type shipping container as claimed in claim 1 in which said abutting member has a key retaining bore therein having a shank receiving portion remote from the abutted structural member and a blade receiving portion adjacent said abutted structural member,

said abutted structural member has a key receiving securing and locking bore therein having a blade passing portion extending inwardly from the abutted surface thereof and a blade turning portion at the inner end of said blade passing portion, and said fastening means comprises a key having a shank portion and a blade portion extending substantially radially outwardly of said shank portion, and a coil spring around said shank portion and positioned in said shank receiving portion and secured to said shank portion at the end remote from said blade portion, the other end of said spring being engaged with the structural member at the end of the shank receiving portion of said bore, whereby when the key is pushed toward the abutted structural member with the blade receiving and blade passing portions of said bores aligned, the blade portion is pushed into said blade turning portion, and said key can be turned and released and said blade portion will remain engaged in said key receiving and locking bore.

3. A knockdown-type shipping container as claimed in claim 2 in which said key receiving and locking bore further has a locking notch therein extending from said blade turning portion toward the abutted surface of said abutted structural member and at an angle to said blade passing portion, whereby when said blade portion is urged toward the abutted surface of said abutted structural member by said spring after it has been turned, it will engage in said locking notch and cannot be turned back unless it is again pushed into said key receiving and locking notch against the action of said spring.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 910,497 1/1909 Buscher 21712 1,639,661 8/1927 Newcomb 217-56 FOREIGN PATENTS 512,013 10/1920 France.

RAPHAEL H. SCHWARTZ, Primary Examiner. 

